CECIMO launches with partners a new action on additive manufacturing skills: 3DPrism

Additive Manufacturing (AM), by being a disruptive technology that supports the re-industrialization of the EU and creates good jobs, is a driver of the industrial shift towards advanced manufacturing. As with any disruptive technology, new skills and qualifications are emerging. 3D printing requires skilled employees in manufacturing (i.e. technicians & operators) to learn how to perform new tasks. They will have to gather digital data (3D scanning), use software to make adjustments for production, and understand material properties, equipment, and consumables. The global demand for such qualified personnel has been increasing and to prepare the future workforce, many EU member states have launched skills initiatives on 3D printing.

The main challenge in this picture is that the development of skills required to enter the 3D printing job market is not commonly supported by vocational education and training (VET) programs and apprenticeships that lead to certification in Europe. The theoretical aspects of additive manufacturing are partially covered by engineering studies, but applied 3D printing skills remain unavailable to most VET job profiles. Acknowledging this negative prospect, the advanced manufacturing industry stresses the importance of developing training programs for AM skills.

Under this light, CECIMO launches the 3DPrism initiative, funded by the EU,  to improve the quality of VET by linking training provision with the needs of industry. The initiative aims at tackling this challenge by enhancing VET provision so as to equip technicians & operators with sought-after skills, with outputs that emphasise on the applied aspects of 3D printing.

The consortium includes the following partners: the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (coordinator), Florida University, CECIMO, EXELIA and CIMEA. The project will start in December 2015 and will run for 27 months.

Objectives of 3D Prism include:

• Identify current and future skills and draw common job profiles needed by the AM industry,
• Draw an AM curriculum, which can be used as a model by VET providers and AM companies in Europe to train the workforce,
• Develop an online learning platform which provides users with AM-related training materials for free,
• Advocate industry needs concerning AM skills at European and national levels.

Throughout the initiative, the consortium will organize AM Skills Workshops across Europe including the UK, Spain, Italy, Germany (EMO Hannover 2017) and Brussels between 2017 and 2019. Please contact Emir Demircan, Projects Manager at CECIMO to get involved in this action.